Lola The Rescued Cat
Monday, August 24, 2015

And the Winners are.....

Hello and Happy Monday! Our book giveaway was a huge success, thanks so all of you! We had so many entries we couldn't believe it.  So without further ado, here are the winners! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our friends at Sweet Purrfections won the grand prize! We will be making a donation to Pawmetto Lifeline on their behalf.  

Second prize goes to Nancy B.  We will be making a donation to Blind Cat Rescue on her behalf.  

Thank you all for your participation! We have a couple more giveaways coming up for some cool stuff! We hope you'll enter those as well. 


Lola
Monday, August 17, 2015

Catit Bench Scratcher - A Chewy Review



Hello everyone, this is Lexy checking in with another fab review.  This month our friends at Chewy.com had a great list of products for us to choose from, but I chose the Catit Bench Scratcher.  Everyone knows how much I love a good scratcher, but one I can lounge on is even better! 

lola the rescued cat reviews
Photo courtesy of Chewy.com

As soon as Mother took it out of the box, I jumped right on it to give it a work out. (Please excuse the photo bomb by my pesky little sister.) 

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Giveaway Reminder

Hello and Happy Thursday! It's a lovely day here in New York and Lexy and I are enjoying sitting in the window with a lovely breeze.  We hope that it's a lovely day where you are. 

We're just sharing our giveaway in case some people missed it.  We're giving away personally pawtographed copies of our book and some other goodies. 

 
You can enter here.  Good luck everyone!
 

Lola
Sunday, August 9, 2015

It's National Book Lovers Day!

Hello and happy Sunday! Did you know that today is National Book Lovers Day? Celebrated every year on August 9th, it is a day for those who love to read! National Book Lovers Day encourages you to curl up in your favorite reading place with your favorite book and forget the world. 

Now, how could I be an author and not post on this day? I wanted my post to be spectacular, and I asked Lexy for her opinion.  I meowed to her, I meowed, "Lexy, what can I do to make this post pawtastic and really stand out?" She put on her thinking cap and meowed to me, she meowed.. "Lola, do you realize we have never had a book giveaway? And our book would be just purrfect to curl up with."  

Oh my stars, she was right! How could we have never given away a book? *face plant* Well, I'm going to fix that right now! 

To celebrate National Book Lovers Day we're doing a giveaway.  One lucky winner will win a purrsonally pawtographed copy of our book. 


Who would think my paw is bigger than Lexy's? 


Thursday, August 6, 2015

I'm Having a Lie-In Today

Hello and Happy Thursday! This morning I decided to have a lie in. 




Monday, August 3, 2015

Animal Lover - One Woman's Fascinating Journey to Uncover Spiritual Purpose of Pets - Book Review

I had the pleasure of meeting Anne Marie at BlogPaws at the CWA session.  We were both there as struggling authors, and when she inquired about how to request book reviews from others I immediately raised my hand and told her I would do a review. (Struggling authors need to stick together!) I strongly believe that some people have the gift of mediumship and have true psychic abilities and I was hoping that she fell into this category.  At the end of the session when she handed me her book, she gave me a message that I really needed to hear that day, at that precise moment.  I knew then that she had a gift and I couldn’t wait to read her book.  

“Animal Lover” is the autobiographical account of how Anne Marie discovered and refined her intuitive abilities.  It details her life of growing up on a farm in rural Illinois and the many events (most involving animals) that shaped her into the person she is today.  This is a no holds barred story and Anne details many accounts with raw honesty (both past and present).  It should be noted that at times it can be emotional and difficult to read as Anne Marie tells the reader about different cases she has worked on with the unfortunate truth of not all of them having a happy ending.  


Anne Marie discusses the many ways she helps her clients, ranging from lost and stolen pets, behavior problems, and helping people through the grieving process.  At the end of the book there are appendices that people can use for different situations.  I particularly like the one on clearing energy, which I believe is important to do on a regular basis. 

From the publisher: “Animal Lover is a fascinating look at how animals REALLY think and feel. If you are an animal lover, you will see yourself reflected in these pages. Animal Lover is filled with actual events between humans and their pets. It contains the five major reasons a pet psychic is called, with actual situations in each. It also is interlaced with flashbacks of the author’s own life, that molded her connection with the Universe, humans and animals. Animal lover reveals that the love shared with our pets is everlasting, existing far beyond the physical realm. Animals come to teach us, protect us, make us laugh, give us companionship, among other things. They do not come randomly into our lives. After you reading Animal Lover, you will believe in Magic again.” 

You can purchase Animal Lover at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  You can find Anne Marie on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and on her website

Dawn

About the author: Ann Marie Hoff grew up on a dairy and swine family farm in Northwestern Illinois, which is where she formed her close connections to animals. Ann Marie has a BS and an MS in Animal Science. She has worked in sales in the scientific medical community for more than twenty years, launching over fifteen human pharmaceuticals to market. Looking for a solution to her chronic pain, she uncovered her psychic abilities.

Ann is an intuitive medium, animal communicator, speaker, artist and author.

Find out more at: annmariehoff.com
Thursday, July 30, 2015

Not Like the Others, Harley's Story, Having a Pet with Special Needs - Book Review

Today I'm happy to post my first book review.  A couple of things make this particular review very exciting for me: it's about a cute animal and it's written in his voice (hmmm.. wonder why that's exciting for me?); the star of the book is a rescued pet (hauntingly familiar); and I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting next to the author, Denise Gruzensky, at BlogPaws during the CWA session. 



"Not Like the Others, Harley's Story, Having a Pet with Special Needs" is written by Denise Gruzensky, RN, MSN, FNP.  Harley's Story is a children's book, that emphasizes that a pet with special needs may not be like all the others because they need a little extra help in life, but they surely can love us just as much as an other pet. 

This book is beautifully photographed and the photos chosen really make Harley's beautiful spirit and personality shine. It is written in Harley's voice as he takes us through his life journey. Before he was a year old he was adopted by Denise after his first family could no longer keep him, at age six he was diagnosed with diabetes, and six months later he developed cataracts.  He explains to the reader how his diabetes is managed and how his environment is modified to help manage his cataracts. Harley is afraid at times, and wonders if Denise will be able to take care of him, or if she will send him way because he's just too hard to take care of? Along the way Harley makes lots of friends and goes on many adventures, including road trips and flying on airplanes.  


Not Like The Others Harley's Story
Look how cute Harley is!
Not Like The Others Harley's Story
What a nice autograph!

For me, the message of the book was two-fold.  The first being to promote animal adoption and to inform people that special needs pets needn't be given up.  But this book serves another important purpose in that it helps children with special needs learn to accept themselves and others.  On the first page there are passages from children and adults writing about how Harley's Story helped them understand diabetes. One 11 year old child wrote:

"This book helped me understand my sisters' diabetes.  I learned that dogs and other animals can have a lot of the same diseases that people do, including diabetes. I saw pictures of and learned about insulin and blood sugars Just like in Harley's story he was loved and accepted the same after he was diagnosed, our family loves my sister just the same too." 

From the back cover: 
Not Like the Others -Harley's Story seeks to teach elementary children the value of being different and loving unconditionally  Come along with Harley, a rescued Yorkshire Terrier, on his cross-country adventure as he learns to trust his forever family, is diagnosed with diabetes, and figures out how to live with his illness.  He may not be like the others, but he is not alone and is unconditionally loved.  

What a wonderful message for children to hear.  I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did. You can purchase it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can find Denise and Harley on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and their website

Harley's motto is "Adopt, for friends cannot be bought."  He is a wise little dog. 
Dawn

About the author: " I graduated in 1994 with a Degree in Nursing from Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA and in 1999 from the University of San Diego with a Master's Degree in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Not Like the Others-Harley's Story: Having a Pet with Special Needs, was released November 22, 2013. The inspiration to write the story began in 2010 when my beloved furry family member was diagnosed with Diabetes. Since rescuing Harley in 2006 I've learned to live by the motto, "Adopt, for friends can't be bought". I currently live in Paradise, CA with my husband."